Production of Airbus A380 to End

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus has announced that the superjumbo Airbus A380 model will soon be removed from the production line.

The final deliveries of the aircraft will take place in 2021.

The decision was made after Emirates, decided to slash their order for the A380, from 162, to 123. The airline company is the biggest purchaser of the model. Instead, the money would be channelled into purchasing 70 smaller aircrafts, a variety of A330 and A350 models.

In a statement on Thursday, Airbus CEO Tom Enders revealed, “As a result of this decision we have no substantial A380 backlog and hence no basis to sustain production, despite all our sales efforts with other airlines in recent years. This leads to the end of A380 deliveries in 2021.”

Australian airlines Qantas, had also shelved their plans to purchase eight more of the A380s earlier this year.

Due to the decision, about “3,000 to 3,500 positions (could) potentially (be) impacted over the next three years”.

Although there was no mention specifically as to which jobs would be affected, there are “a significant number of internal mobility opportunities.”

The initial emergence of the Airbus A380 was touted at the time as an ingenious manufactural feat. The spacious, huge, double-deck, four engine aircraft was meant to compete against Boeing’s 747.

Originally popular among fliers, the high costs eventually caused the demand to dry up.

Despite the halt in production, the A380 will still be utilised by airlines worldwide, with Airbus committing to “continue to fully support the A380 operators.”